Letter: The Tea Party, explained

The Tea Party is not an organized political party, but it is a way of viewing today’s governmental and financial problems. The origin of this movement is in our American history. The first tea party was on Dec. 16, 1773, in Boston Harbor.

All the colonies were rebelling against British control over the pricing and taxing of goods. Tea was one of these goods. Samuel Adams and a group of protesters, dressed as Indians, boarded a British vessel and dumped boxes of tea into the harbor. Sixteen months later, the first shots of the American Revolution were heard around the world.

Today we face governmental controls, taxes and regulations that make King George look like an amateur. Carefully read the Declaration of Independence and compare their list of grievances to the ones we have today. People who claim to be Tea Party members are not in any particular political party. They are concerned citizens, fearful of the future of our great country.

Unlike our early patriots, armed with tomahawks and muskets, today’s Tea Party is armed with the U.S. Constitution. Members plan to revive the principles of our founding fathers at the ballot box. For those who choose not to get involved, consider the following quote by Pericles (430 BC): Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you!

"Right, now how about Gallup asking some real questions. Like what part of government do you want to get rid of?"...How about the part that gives out free money for main streets and tanks for starters?

Hunter_Dan wrote:

12/20/2013

Last time I checked, the Colonists weren't funded by Koch Industries.

GWTW wrote:

12/20/2013

Hmm...disconnect here I think..according to Gallup, 'Seventy-two percent of Americans say big government is a greater threat to the U.S. in the future than is big business or big labor, a record high in the nearly 50-year history of this question."..Pretty sure Democrats are not going to give you smaller govt, even though that era was over in the 90's.

tillie wrote:

12/21/2013

Right, now how about Gallup asking some real questions. Like what part of government do you want to get rid of? Medicare, Social Security, defense, food safety? It is a stupid question and means nothing. I will never forget the tea party oldies with the "government keep its hands of my medicare" signs and I realized these were a bunch of dopes being manipulated by the Republicans. Of course now no one knows who is being manipulated by who.

ItsaRepublic wrote:

12/21/2013

None of the above. No one is asking to completely gut government. What people are asking is to get rid of the waste, duplication and nepotism which costs us billions. The Wastebook recently released, revealed $30 billion in silly programs, studies and pork spending. The GAO waste and duplication report, depending on the year reveals between $200B and $500B in waste and duplication. There are plenty of areas to cut the waste.

BestPresidentReagan wrote:

12/19/2013

the Tea Party is a movement that is not trying to impose some untried leftist liberal progressive democrat utopia but they want to restore the constitutional heritage of the USA. The Keynesian economic philosophy of the democrats has taken the USA debt from 10 Trillion to 17 $$$$TRILLION in just 5 years. That FACT and the NObama lawlessness have been the greatest recruiters for the movement. HEADLINES: Gallup poll: Record 72 percent believe big government is USA's greatest threat....... or you could of course believe the garbage the left spews to denigrate the harmless leaderless grassroots movement.

Bruce_Currie wrote:

12/19/2013

The modern Tea Party would be unrecognizable by the old one. Contrary to the letter writer, their aims and philosophy are a study in contrasts. The modern-day Tea Partiers are all about preserving privilege--not expanding it, and don the mantle of super-patriots to stake their claim. Predominantly white, and feeling threatened by demographic changes underway, and by what they perceive as the spread of so-called "entitlements", the TPers can trace a direct line back to the southern White Citzens Councils, and to the KKK as it broadened its appeal in the early 20th century by exploiting anti-immigrant feelings. Those in the Tea Party overlook the many 'entitlements' they've benefitted from, and ignore the tax, regulatory, and financial changes that have made achieving the American Dream more difficult for the young, while systematically driving wealth to the top 1%. Funded by the 1%ers, they're clinging fearfully to their own entitlements, while toadying up to those responsible for promoting more of the supply-side snake-oil that has led us to present condition. For more on the real Tea Party, see here: http://hnn.us/article/134859

ItsaRepublic wrote:

12/20/2013

When you don't have a point, as a progressive you must do the following: 1) attack your opposition personally, we saw this with a retired letter writer last week (progressives looked her up and then commented on an assumption that she was another person...attack others personally if all else fails. 2) stereotype entire groups of people and brand them with extreme labels like "KKK", "haters", ____ists, ______phobes in an attempt to sterilize their beliefs and opinion. 3) Demonize the most high profile people on the opposition side. For instance, Rachel Maddow is a scholar but Megan Kelly is a dunce. Keith Olberman is so inspiring but Sean Hannity is an "extremist". 4) Very wealth as a zero sum game, accuse others of being selfish and wanting to screw everyone else to benefit themselves. In actuality this is the childish rant of the liberal mindset, one that allows emotion to clearly eclipse intellect, common sense and reality. 5) Keep banging the drum and using the keywords carefully selected from the progressive playbook.......words like "1%'ers" "wealthy", "fairness", "obstructionists", "brinksmanship", "racist", etc. You are wrong about the Tea Party, it is a loose coalition of people who can see that in the progressive mindset, nothing matters beyond "the end justifies the means". Your post is bitter and offensive and you paint all people who believe in some, many or all of the Tea Party principles with a broad brush.

tillie wrote:

12/19/2013

Funny, I was taught in school (not too long after it actually happened) that the colonists were rebelling against "taxation without representation." You modern day tea party people have representation actually more than your numbers should allow. . So actually your problem is that you don't want to pay any taxes no how, no way no matter who is in charge.

BeancounterNH wrote:

12/19/2013

Tillie, I'm glad you're back. I'm proud of you for not allowing the trolls to drive you off

Bruce_Currie wrote:

12/19/2013

Amen. Some commenters--the Carp Per Diems, are so invested in their beliefs as accurately reflecting reality ( because that's all they ever see, hear or read), that any expressions contrary to the Faux/Rush/ Beck/ NewsMax/Breitbart/ GraniteGrok nexus is treated as dangerous heresy. The Carpers see their mission as bringing light to darkness. That they do this regularly by distorting the facts on many issues escapes their notice, but to ideologues, the end always justifies the means.

ItsaRepublic wrote:

12/20/2013

Amen. Some commenters-the stereotyping progressives are so invested in their ideology which is far from reality (they demonize others in every post) that any expressions contrary to Maddow/Matthews/Obama/Salon/Daily Jos/Think Progress nexus is treated as dangerous heresy. The Demonizers see their mission as bringing "fairness" to the world like a Messiah. That they do this regularly by cherry picking facts and twisting them on almost every issue escapes their notice, but to extreme left ideologues, the end always justifies the means. That is why they always practice Alinsky tactics in every post.

Bruce_Currie wrote:

12/20/2013

This is funny, coming from the poster who routinely sets up strawmen to beat with his cudgel and who spouts pious platitudes at every turn, rather than deal factually with posts with which he disagrees. His two posts here are good examples--stringing together cliches and throwing in a strawman or two for good measure. And he has the gall repeatedly to accuse those who dare raise the issue of wealth distribution and fairness of waging "class warfare". That is exactly what has happened over the last 3 decades--an assault on nearly everything that created a strong middle class--an unrelenting attack on unions, on progressivity in our tax system, on regulations that protected the public. The modern day Tea Party isn't about restricting privilege? Think of the new voter suppression efforts going on in the South--aimed primarily at minorities and the poor. And think about "Keep your hands off my Medicare"--the American equivalent of "I've got mine, Jack." And who can forget their theme from 2012--dividing the nation into "makers" and "takers". More than one-fifth of this nation's children live in poverty. And the Tea Party/Republican Right response? Let's cut entitlements and food stamps some more. It's Social Darwinism and 'blame the victim'--pure and simple. It's what Marie Antoinette would say, not Tom Paine or Tom Jefferson. I can hardly wait for the cliches, platitudes, strawmen, and ad hominen posts. Anything to avoid dealing with the facts on class war. The issue I raised questioned whether the modern incarnation of the Tea Party is about expanding privilege, as the original was--or shrinking it.

BestPresidentReagan wrote:

12/20/2013

speaking the TRUTH - itsa

BestPresidentReagan wrote:

12/20/2013

The PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT "Carpe diem"....."progressive activists and agitators aren’t interested in comity or stasis or accommodation. Instead, they view division and conflict as necessary steps to achieve their progressive goals" Just as they have done to Duck Dynasty the progressive "Carpe diem" desire to do to all free speech that disagrees with their leftist philosophy.

BeancounterNH wrote:

12/21/2013

Right on schedule, Bruce. Does he even know he proves your point every time he posts?

ItsaRepublic wrote:

12/21/2013

Except that his point is not valid. It amazes me how people have been sucked in by that kind of rhetoric and propaganda. Have you mis-identified any apartment complex owners lately?